What is the potential transformative power of entrepreneurship for Arab refugee women, and what is their role in rebuilding lives and contributing to host nations?

Drawing on a selection of case studies, this book explores the entrepreneurial experiences of Arab refugee women located in Jordan and Lebanon and examines how gender intersects with their social identity and refugee status. Authors Haya Al-Dajani, Maysa Baroud and Deema Refai shed light on the socio-economic barriers, legal hurdles, cultural biases, and place-based constraints faced by refugee women when setting up businesses.

Discussing themes of empowerment, place and entrepreneurship, the authors conclude with a framework of recommendations for supporting refugee women entrepreneurs in Jordan, Lebanon and beyond. As such, this book is ideal reading for students of Entrepreneurship, Gender Studies, Refugee Studies, Sociology, and Cultural Anthropology.

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Copyright Page
• Acknowledgments
• Abstract
• Table of Contents
• Learning objectives
• Introduction
  • Warning
  • Why do Jordan and Lebanon have so many refugees?
  • Defining ‘refugees’
  • Refugee entrepreneurship
  • Overview of the book content and its organization
  • How to make the most out of this book
  • Recommended readings
• 1 The historical evolution of women’s empowerment
  • Historical evolution of women’s empowerment in the global north
    • 1. Early feminist movements: Laying the foundation
    • 2. Development discourse: Integrating empowerment into economic and social agendas
    • 3. Global policy integration: The rise of women’s empowerment as a global priority
    • 4. Intersectionality and inclusive empowerment: Addressing diverse challenges
  • Historical evolution of women’s empowerment in the Arab world
    • 1. Early struggles: Women’s rights in pre-colonial and colonial eras
    • 2. Nationalism and women’s rights (mid-twentieth century)
    • 3. The rise of feminist movements and political reform (1980s–2000s)
    • 4. Women’s empowerment in the post-Arab spring era
  • The struggles and triumphs of women’s empowerment in the Arab world and the West
  • Looking ahead
  • Learning takeaways
    • 1. Empowerment is historically rooted and politically shaped
    • 2. Empowerment requires both individual and structural change
    • 3. Intersectionality is crucial to inclusive empowerment
  • Test your learning
  • Recommended readings
• 2 Empowerment models for refugee women entrepreneurs
  • Theoretical models of empowerment
    • 1. Resources, agency, and achievements
    • 2. The power framework: Power within, power to, power with, power over
    • 3. The capability approach
    • 4. Psychological and social empowerment models
  • Psychological empowerment model
  • Social empowerment model
  • Defining empowerment
  • The extent to which entrepreneurship can be empowering for refugee women
    • 1. Socio-economic constraints and access to resources
    • 2. Agency: Legal and bureaucratic constraints
    • 3. Social norms that restrict refugee women’s mobility and decision-making
    • 4. Informal and unstable business conditions
    • 5. The political and economic volatility of the host nations in which the refugee women reside
  • The resilient path to refugee women’s empowerment through entrepreneurship
  • Conclusion
  • Learning takeaways
  • Test your learning
  • Recommended readings
• 3 The importance of place: Understanding the refugee host nations of Jordan and Lebanon
  • Introduction
  • The Jordanian refugee host nation
  • Lebanon
  • Conclusion
  • Learning takeaways
  • Test your learning
  • Recommended readings
• 4 The transformative journeys of Arab refugee women entrepreneurs
  • Threads of hope: Building a business and a future in a refugee camp in Jordan
  • Inventing a livelihood: Zahra’s story of digital refugee entrepreneurship in Lebanon
  • Learning takeaways
  • Test your learning
  • Recommended readings
• 5 Gender norms and the experiences of gender inequalities
  • Understanding gender inequality
  • The difference between sex and gender
  • The power of gender norms
  • The impact of gender norms on opportunities for men and women
  • Overcoming gender inequalities
  • Mariam: I don’t want to be a woman anymore
  • “Alhamdullilah I can help with my skills in sewing and wool”: Zainab’s home-based sewing micro-enterprise
  • Learning takeaways
  • Test your learning
  • Recommended readings
• 6 Support for refugee entrepreneur enterprises
  • Introduction
  • Supporting Syrian refugee women in Jordan: ‘We are producers, not refugees’
  • Em Mohammad’s kitchen: Mouneh one jar at a time
  • Learning takeaways
  • Test your learning
  • Recommended readings
• 7 Refugee women’s entrepreneurship
  • Introduction
  • Um Ahmed’s embroidered legacy
  • “Motivation is magic”: Em Haissam’s mobile phone shop
  • Learning takeaways
  • Test your learning
  • Recommended readings
• Conclusion: Entrepreneurship as a pathway of empowerment, recognition, and resistance
  • Policy recommendations for supporting Arab refugee women entrepreneurs in Jordan and Lebanon
  • Recommended framework for supporting refugee women entrepreneurs in Jordan, Lebanon and beyond
    • 1. Legal and economic inclusion
      • Recommendations
    • 2. Support for informal enterprise
      • Recommendations
    • 3. Inclusive financial access
      • Recommendations
    • 4. Gender-responsive ecosystems
      • Recommendations
    • 5. Training and mentorship
      • Recommendations
    • 6. Peer networks and cooperatives
      • Recommendations
    • 7. Address gender norms and safety
      • Recommendations
    • 8. National and global integration
      • Recommendations
    • 9. Digital inclusion
      • Recommendations
    • 10. Participatory, evidence-based policy
      • Recommendations
      • Our Call to Action
  • Action 1: Reframing refugee women as agents of change, not passive beneficiaries
    • How to implement
  • Action 2: Shift the focus from short-term relief to long-term structural solutions
    • How to implement
  • Action 3: Promote inclusive partnerships between refugee and host communities
    • How to implement
  • Action 4: Champion refugee women’s leadership and representation in global development
    • How to implement
  • Learning takeaways
  • Test your learning
  • Recommended readings
• Glossary
• References
• Index

Haya Al-Dajani, PhD, is Professor of Entrepreneurship and Director of the EMBA Signature Learning Experience at the Mohammed Bin Salman College for Business and Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia.

Maysa Baroud is Joint Visiting Fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs & Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs.

Deema Refai, PhD, is Associate Professor in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at the University of Leeds, UK.